Catching Up with the Numero Group
By Bob Bozorgmehr

History,they say, is written by the winners. But for Chicago-based reissuelabel the Numero Group, the story of music's losers - the would-berecord moguls, the shoulda-been stars, and the hit records no one heard- is infinitely more interesting. "For us," says Numero co-owner KenShipley, "the attraction is that this music and these records are likestrange cultural obscurities and anomalies. They're untapped andundiscovered, just waiting to be found."

Launched by Shipley and partner Tom Lunt three years ago, the efforts of the Numero Group
(www.numerogroup.com)have evolved into a kind of ongoing musical rescue mission. Numerooften provides a second chance for the artists and label owners whonever tasted any kind of success the first time around. Case in point:Bill Moss's Columbus, Ohio, label Capsoul. Conceived as a sort ofmini-Motown in 1970, the company never got off the ground, despite aslew of talented artists and memorable songs. Frustrated, Moss quit thebusiness and forgot about the label for the next three decades,becoming a respected member of the local school board - before he wasapproached by Numero to release a Capsoul anthology in 2004. (Mosspassed away last year, having finally enjoyed a flush of nationalattention following the release of the disc.)

It's easy to seewhy Shipley can empathize with the Bill Mosses of the world: At age 17,he started his own ill-fated label, Tree Records, before going on toserve as a regional A&R director and product manager for Rykodisc.He met Lunt, a well-respected ad exec, at a record store in 2001.There, they bonded over a mutual love of cult pop band Big Star,Peruvian music, and the Verve/Impulse catalog; in 2003, the pairdecided to go into business together. Seeking out projects with curiousand unusual backstories, the label has uncovered a fascinating mix ofmusic - ranging from The Glory Road, a forgotten 1958 albumfrom traveling Christian missionary Fern Jones, to an anthology of theBandit label, a bizarre R&B enterprise run by the ruthless ArrowBrown and funded by, let's just say, unusual sources.